Reaching for the Stars
by Alassea Telrunya
Summary: A foreign mortal woman made a not so smart decision of stealing from an elf she should not have messed with.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes Please Read: **

**So I am starting a new series that involves some of the sons of Fëanor because I believe they are very interesting, grey and controversial characters unlike other Tolkien characters that are either perfectly good or perfectly bad. Fëanor's two oldest sons especially have caught my attention for quite some time and I have always wanted to write about Maedhros and Maglor redeeming themselves of their past with the help of outsiders. However, I have seen many Maglor fanfics so this story is going to be about Maedhros and a mortal girl.**

**My OC is going to be named Hireth. No, she is NOT Caucasian, she is Southeast Asian but acquired a Western name for convenience and easy usage. For those of you who ask how an Asian character could be used in Middle Earth; well, it is a small world with many ethnicities. People move in and about for a variety of reasons. **

**Also, the time setting of this story is that the world has already ended and that Middle Earth has been recreated with humans, elves, dwarves, hobbits, etc. all joined together without any evil creatures of any sort. The second music of the Ainur and Valar has been sung. Basically, I think Tolkien wants us to believe everyone is pretty much immortal now regardless of race so I will just go along with that oh-so-convenient theory, LOL. **

**Rated M for mild sexuality, violence and Hireth's foul mouth**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of Tolkien's characters or works aside from Hireth.**

**Enjoy~**

CHAPTER 1

I sat in front of the public forge, watching the craftsman hammer the delicate, silver head-piece like a hawk along with two other men I met a few days ago. Tinkering sounds danced in the air as the three of us huddled together at a small table, belonging to the local diner. People who happened to pass by our group gave us blatant, suspicious glances. An old man walked by with a child at his side. The little boy threw me a curious glance and I stared back unblinkingly. The man seemed to have noticed this and chided the boy before giving me a disapproving expression. I glared pointedly, but the response was ignored.

"Is that the one?" I asked; poking my thumb towards the unfinished mithril circlet the jewelry smith was inspecting. Gnarled and cracked lips smiled deviously at me.

"Ye. That would be the one, girl."

I narrowed my eyes warily at the piece of jewelry and back at the two middle-aged, disheveled looking men next to me. Both had dark, brown hair, sallow skin, sunken eyes and were dressed in mostly black.

"Why do you fellows need something like a circlet? What would you do with it?" I demanded. Not too long ago, I was wandering around the streets of Formenos, homeless and in weather-beaten, ragged-like clothes, did I encounter a small village of the edain. I looked for scraps of food I could find or anything of use relentlessly. Time went by and I began resorting to the act of theft. People are mostly ungenerous of nature after all and especially to strange looking foreigners from the East such as me. The firstborn's behavior towards foreigners was even worse than us mortals which should not come as a surprise given their disgusting haughty ways. Their ethereal beauty and unnatural grace does nothing to sooth my contempt at their so-called 'superior' race. I sneered at the thought.

Three days ago, I was doing my usual morning routine of stealing a piece of breakfast at the market square when I was caught by these men I am presently associating myself with. Instead of reporting me to the guards, however, they decided to use me to their advantage. It was most annoying and I knew I would not have been in this stupid situation if I had been more careful not to let myself be seen. How the two thugs would use me, I have yet to know which brings us to this gathering at the diner this afternoon.

"Oh come now, girl. What we do with the pretty little thing is none of your concern. Your only job is to snatch it away so that the high prince never receives it, and bring it to us." The shorter one of the two gave me a conspiratorial grin.

My breath got caught in my throat. The high prince?I figured the headpiece would have been made for some aristocrat or noble lord of some sort, but the _high prince_? Stealing and dishonest actions were not new to me, but I am seriously risking my life here, attempting to steal a prized possession from a royal person.

"The _high prince_? You want me to take that which belongs to a man whom has skilled guards and warriors all over Aman, protecting him meticulously and executing any criminals?!" I tried not to let my voice quiver, but the treacherous sound came out as a squeak instead.

They were nonplussed by my outrage and just blinked at me stupidly. The taller man answered me this time in a nonchalant manner which riled up my temper even more.

"Well, he _was _a high prince of the eldar from Valinor along with his father, Fëanor and some others, when Arda was still marred. Until that is he and his family decided to make the foolish decision of slaying their own kin of the Telerin and then all hell went lose of course, but that is elven business we don't associate ourselves with so we couldn't care less about them details. All we know was that he and his elven kin were the first ever to have walked upon Middle Earth and changed the world from there."

Okay…that explanation did absolutely _nothing _to calm my nerves. In fact, it made me panic even more if that was possible. I am now being told to steal from not just any royalty, but _elven _royalty.

"What do I get in return for this mess I am idiotic enough to get myself into?" I asked, narrowing my eyes into slits at the insane pair in front of me.

"Watch that tone of yours, girl. Do not forget that you are the thief here and we could be reporting you any time we want but we are not." One of them sneered down at me and I could smell his bad breath from my seat. I wrinkled my nose.

"And I could be reporting about you two discussing about stealing a crown from a damn prince!" I retorted bitingly. They were unfazed.

"Are you sure you want to do that, stupid woman?" The short one spat. "If you steal the crown for us, together, the three of us can have riches beyond our dreams. The price of the crown of a first born elf lord is worth more than a thousand men after all."

Why is it that elven possession is worth more than edain possession? How annoying that their things were accounted more valuable than ours. What is so great about them other than their immortality when Arda was imperfect?! It's not like we had a choice about our fates to begin with.

And riches beyond my dreams? That definitely sounded tempting. The delicious smell and sweet feeling of the metal coins filled my nose and touch. I would give and do anything to have a home, food and drink, nice-looking clothes to spend my eternal lonely life with. My mother always told me that I would grow up to marry a rich and handsome husband to give me comfort for the rest of my days as a child. Obviously, I gave up on that dream a long, long time ago when I kind of died…alone.

"How do I know you two are not lying and tricking that crown off me only to leave me with nothing?" I asked incredulously. I would be shamed and humiliated forever if the elves were kind enough to keep my head attached to my body that is.

"Girl, we do not have any proof to give you." The taller man rolled his eyes. "You will just have to steal the damn circlet and see the proof for yourself don't you?"

"And if I refuse?" I countered. They both scowled.

"If you are naïve enough to refuse us, _foreigner_, then you can be certain that we will make sure of telling the guards to arrest you for robbery. And don't think of selling us out for snipping a crown from the firstborn either. That will not work as we know our ways of bending the laws, but _you _will not get out of trouble as you are stranger to these lands."

This time, I scowled. To think that I was stupid enough to let myself get caught by these fucking bastards and now, about to do another dumb activity of taking-fancy-crown-from-fancy-elf-prince I do not know twat about with the possibility of getting arrested and killed was…ridiculous, if that is the right word.

"None of us have even introduced our names to each other." I said feeling like an idiot for not thinking about asking them earlier.

"I believe it would be best if we do not begin to do that. Things will definitely get into a disadvantage if we were to get personal, but we can always give you our fake aliases." Was the useless suggestion.

I internally groaned. In other words, if I were to get caught, I would not be able to sell them out. Damn. One of them looked at me with mild curiosity.

"I didn't think that a thief like you would be so distressed of a task such as this." I sucked in my retort and looked at the insane man. _'A task such as this?' _Doesn't he know what he is saying?

"Don't think we are fools, girl. We know of your hatred and distain towards the elves. Shouldn't you be enjoying this deed rather than complain about it? This is an opportunity for you to actually go against them." He went on.

Yes, it is true I hate them and work against them any time I could, but…not like this. Even with my thieving and deceitful mind, I could not help but feel this task is a petty and pathetic way to do it. I quickly brushed off the thought, however.

"When do we start?" I asked reluctantly.

The men nodded towards the forgery.

"We start when the circlet is finished. The jewelry will be sent to a secluded mansion that belongs to the Fëanorians in Aman tomorrow morning at seven. Arrive here at dawn with the requirements of a thief, which you are."

The next morning, I arrived at the forge and waited. The fires from the reeking forge were already at work when I was there. I discreetly sat a store behind the forge waiting for the two thugs to arrive. By the time the two men showed themselves, the circlet was put into a regal mahogany box and wrapped up in a brown cloth.

From my corner, I saw someone stepping inside the forge and it appeared the person was speaking to the owner of the smith place. I tried to read their lips to no avail. A few moments later, the mysterious person stepped out holding the clothed box and was heading straight down her way. I ducked back behind the wall, but kept my watch on the person. As the person passed by, I could see it was an elven male, a delivery man for the royal house of firstborn perhaps. He wore simple clothes that blended in naturally with the secondborn folk and long brown hair that swayed as he walked back and forth.

The thugs gave me expectant looks and I quickly took after the male elf. With my light footsteps, not many people paid any attention to us although the elf did gave a few look-behinds, but I carefully hid before I could hazard a chance of being given away.

Stupid elf. He kept on gliding so gracefully without a clue that I was stalking him.

We arrived at the white, comely mansion of the Fëanorians a while later after miles of walking. It was highly difficult keeping up with fast elven feet and especially when trying not to be seen at the same time. In front of the white building, was a long yet slender bricked road that lead to the entrance. Surrounding the little road were vivid, green grasses that seemed to stretch on forever with little, trimmed plants and trees here and there.

I heard multiple soft footsteps behind me and my heart picked up a panicked pace. I hastily hid behind an evergreen tree. Two ellyn came up to the delivery elf and spoke in a language I did not care to know of. The delivery elf handed the clothed box to one of the elf and left as quickly as he came. One of the elven male had a mop of wavy, honey-blonde hair pulled back in a loose braid, and the other had long, lustrous black hair and a seemingly perpetual irritated expression.

Well that makes the two of us then, I dryly thought. The two ellyn spoke for some time. I waited impatiently for them to finish their conversation and tried to see if I could somehow snatch the box away without them knowing.

One of the leaves from the tree tickled my nose when I leaned forward to see what the elven men were up to. Before I could hold it, the sneeze came out.

Crap.

I immediately covered my mouth and tried in vain to make myself smaller behind the evergreen.

"Did you hear that, Celegorm?" One of them asked the other in a low yet melodic voice.

"Yes…I did." A lighter and flamboyant voice answered slowly.

My heart was thundering and threatened to break out of my chest.

I was so fucked.

I heard steps coming closer to the area I was taking sanctuary in and I held my breath. The hair from my back was rising and I could feel sweat forming on my skin.

Before they bothered to look behind my tree however, one of them halted.

"Ah it does not matter. It probably was just some local forest animal, Caranthir." The flamboyant let out nonchalantly and went back to where he came from.

Caranthir, however, did not seem to buy it and stayed put.

"That is strange; I could have sworn I smelled a mortal." He said, his tone had wary suspicion. My heart picked up its fast pace again. Damn, damn, damn! Shit! No one told me the eldar could _smell _us. That is just creepy right there.

The elf with the light voice scoffed. "Caranthir, you cannot be serious. How could a lowly and smelly mortal possibly be impertinent enough to approach a resident of a firstborn?"

It took all my will power not to jump out and punch the elven bastard right then and there for that remark. Oh, I will show _him _'impertinent'

I risked a peak and found out it was the blonde one that had a mocking quirk to his mouth and it did not take a genius to figure out who was the one who said that annoying comment.

"You say that now, but just wait until you actually personally meet a mortal. You will be surprised by their impertinence indeed when they give you a piece of their mind." The black haired one said with a small chuckle and walked back to the blonde.

"Oh? I did not know you of all people would say that of the secondborn! Your life back with the edain when we were still alive in Arda marred has softened your heart, Carnistir." Was the taunt from the blonde.

Caranthir was not affected.

"Not softened my heart. I merely opened my mind to more realization and enlightenment." Was the casual reply.

If Haleth were here, she would have loved to knock them both to the ground. I would have gladly joined her.

Thinking about my tough western friend made me realized I really missed the new friends I made here ever since I was reborn again.

It did not take long for Haleth and I to meet each other and get quickly acquainted. I figured it was because we were so much alike in personality and that we could not stand the snobbish hauteur of the elves that we got along so well. Unfortunately, because of her difficult circumstances which she adamantly refused to tell me about, she could not take me in to live with her so in the end, I was left homeless. A few times a week, she would come by my tent at the edge of the forest in Formenos and give me a package of food and we would sit and talk for hours. We spoke of many things and all that has happened from Arda marred to the Arda now. She spoke of her family, her tribe and her life as leader of her people. It was really impressive what we mortal women could do despite our short-comings and assigned fate. Of course the mortal men were great also, but we were better. Really, we were and still are.

I woke up back to reality. Now was not the time for mindless thoughts. When I turned back to look for the ellyn, there was no one there.

Oh just great. How could I have not been paying attention to where they were going?! There was little time for more sneaking and searching.

I stepped out of the tree. The clothed box was right on the very top step of the stairs in front of the two huge wooden doors.

There it is.

I gave a once look around to make sure I was completely alone before taking careful steps towards the box. The fact that elven ears were keen and powerful was still kept in check in my mental notes.

The box looked bigger and more magnificent than I thought now that I had a closer look. Its brilliance could be felt under the wrappings. I carefully traced the fabric, enjoying for a moment, the soft feeling of the silk.

I have it now. I can now bring it back to those men and they will give me my share of wealth. They had better kept their side of the trade. Thousands of gold coins and I will finally never have to go hungry again. I relished in that thought and quickly took a strong hold of the box in my hands.

I looked around and still, I was alone. It was too quiet for my liking, but I decided to pay no mind to it. Making sure not to make a sound, I tip-toed down the cemented stairs and looked for a short-cut. It wasn't the smartest thing to do, considering I was not familiar with the place, but I had to get away fast.

There was a sharp grab on my right arm. I whipped my head back, shocked.

"Well, well, well. It would seem we have a thief here, brother."

_I thought I was alone! _

The grab pulled on me painfully to turn around.

Now, I am screwed_. _It looks like I would lose my head after all…but that doesn't need to happen if…-

I didn't care to see who it was that grabbed my arm. I quickly gave a hard kick to what I hoped was the shin of the elf and my arm was let go of. I tried to make a dash to the opposite direction, but the blonde elf was right in front of me.

The elf behind me grabbed my arms and I viciously tried to break away, thrashing and punching in all directions.

No! I won't let them catch me. I cannot. With a grab here, and a strike, there. The elven men easily thwarted all my blows and Caranthir, the one with dark hair tucked his arms under mind and held me close to his hard chest. The other one grabbed my legs and held them together with an iron grip.

Probably to make sure I would not butcher him in the groin.

"Not so fast, mortal_. _Or should I say, _thief. _Where do you think you are going with that box?" The blonde asked with that infuriating melodic voice of his.

I glared at him and tried to shake my legs out of the grip hoping to land a foot in that fair face. But of course, since when did things go my way?

His grip was strong and though he might look like someone who spends his days grooming himself in front of the mirror, he was also a skilled warrior. The muscles shown through his tight attire gave it away.

"Answer, thief. Who are you? What were you going to do with the box? Are you taking it for yourself? Did someone ask you to steal it for them?" The questions came from the dark one behind me.

"Let me go, elf!" I shouted and tried to yank my arms away in vain. The position I was in and the way I was held was nothing short of vulnerable and that was unacceptable.

"Answer the questions before I throw you in the dungeons, _adaneth_." Caranthir snarled into my ears. The front doors of the mansion clicked open.

I turned back to see who else was going to punish me and standing there, was an extremely tall male elf with an almost imperceptible, questioning look as he eyed the three of us.

He had dark red hair that was held back in a half ponytail and his clothing was simple. Even though he was one of the firstborn, his face was scarred heavily and dark shadows were creased under his dark grey eyes.

"My brothers, would someone care to tell me what in all of Arda is going on here?" His low, hoarse voice rumpled at us. I winced at the sound. It definitely contrasted the melodic voices of the two other men which I thought was strange.

"We found this mortal woman snooping around our house and just now, if it were not for us, she would have stolen your commissioned circlet, Maitimo." Celegorm answered looking at his brother levelly.

The scarred grey eyes slowly went down to me. I swallowed the thick ball of saliva that formed in my throat.

He is no eldar. I was staring at a wraith.

_Definitions:_

_Maitimo= another name for Maedhros_

_Eldar=the elves_

_Firstborn=elves_

_Ellyn=male elves (plural)_

_Ellon=male elf_

_Adaneth=mortal woman_

_Arda=Middle Earth and more_

_Secondborn=mortal_

_Edain=mortals_

_Formenos=an area in Valinor that was near Aman, but it is now reestablished in Middle Earth unmarred. _

_Aman=Also a place from Valinor that the Feanorians reside in that is reestablished in Middle Earth. _

_And that is it for this chapter guys! I hope you all like it and the next one will be coming soon._


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: So today I just got a review from ****CatnessEverdeenismyhero**** telling me the following: **

"Southeast Asian, huh? Do you mean Southron, or someone from Harad? Because in Middle Earth, there is no Asia, dude."

**I thank you ****Arwend**** for confirming that there is indeed a counterpart for Asia in Middle Earth along with other continents.**

**CatnessEverdeenismyhero also said: **"Don't try so hard to keep your character from being a Mary Sue that you make her into a complete witch. Sometimes people try too much to make their characters not Mary Sues that the characters turn into snarky, selfish, unfeeling wenches with no redeemable qualities. Your character looks like she's in danger of becoming the polar opposite of too perfect, which actually is its own type of Mary Sue.** " If anyone else feel this way, keep in mind that Hireth is supposed to be human with a flawed and petty personality and a bitter past that made her died shortly that will be explained later. You would not be a nice person either if you died a cruel death and was suddenly forced to relive your life in Arda remade as a homeless that has to resort to the career of theft. Many characters will go through development throughout the story. **

**Also, my grammar sucks. Period. If any of you are interested or have the time, I am looking for a beta reader or an editor. Thank you.**

Meanings:

fireth/firiel/adaneth = mortal woman

Nelyo/Nelyofinwë/Russandol/Maitimo = Maedhros

Tyelkormo = Celegorm

Carnistir = Caranthir

CHAPTER 2

My back arched in pain and I finally let out a scream. The scorching sensation of the whip dug through my flesh in all directions of my bare back. The whip cracked again.

He ignored my muffled sobs as the executioner gave three more strikes to my poor, bleeding backside.

If this wasn't hell, I don't even want to know what is. One of the men untied my bruised wrists and ankles from the post and threw me roughly to the ground. I let out a curse.

"Should have thought better than to steal from one of the firstborn." His sallow, bearded face twisted into a sneer. I spat at his feet and he gave me a kick in the ribs. I bit my tongue to keep from screaming.

_Don't let him get to you, Hireth. Must not show weakness to these bastards._

"I oughtta whip ye harder than that, Easterner. To think a foreigner like ye would dare attempt such a thing. In fact, we oughtta hang ye to give an example to scums from faraway lands."

With my usual stubbornness, I said nothing and glared at him. He kneeled and his face got closer to mine.

"How would ye like that, eh? Rules are rules and if ye don't follow them, ye can get the fuck out or ye let us kill ya."

His weed breath and yellow teeth was nauseating.

"That would be enough, Tharon." A smooth and calm voice spoke from behind the door to the torture room. In walked none other than Elrond himself. I haven't seen him since I died and he gone to Valinor. What the hell was he doing here now? He just had to see me at my lowest again as the cursed Valar has it.

"You have given Hireth the strikes she deserved and now, I would like to speak with her alone."

The next thing I knew, I was in Elrond's private study in his house also located here, in Aman.

"What do you want, my lord?" I asked grumpily as he scrutinized me up and down.

I got used to people giving my unruly appearance with dirty looks. It was one of the things I noticed in my youth that poor people who do not have official statuses in society tend to get. But mortals like me giving me those looks I can deal with. The eldar, however, leave me boiling with rage. What _right _do _they _have to judge me? What right does _anyone _have to judge me?

I am sure my yellow skin, wide nose and small eyes are bad enough to get me thrown out of these despicable Western lands. The lord of Imladris was probably annoyed at my filthy, torn clothing and disheveled black hair knotted in a messy bun making its presence in his large, clean and oh-so-elven house.

"Why did you do that, Hireth?" He asked me wearily. "I have known you for a long time back in Imladris when your mother sent you there and not once, did I think you were capable of such dishonest and lowly acts.

I gritted my teeth and my eyes flared. How _dare _he judge me?

"If you think that I would have the capacity to remain a good and obedient little girl after what I had been through, then I am afraid to say that you are dead wrong, my lord." I hissed. "You don't even know the hell I had experienced here in Arda remade either. So much for a 'better' world like Eru promised, no?"

His disappointed face changed into one of quiet concern. "Would you care to tell me what exactly happened in Imladris in your past life that distresses you so much?"

His mild manner when asking me such personal questions enraged me.

"No." I snapped. Elrond let out a sigh.

"Then will you tell me why you are you here, so near to Formenos?"

I gave a little shrug. "I don't know. When I died, this was where I ended up after my long stay past the circles of the world and this is where I lived ever since."

Elrond gazed flintily at me.

"At least, where I _tried_ to live ever since." I finished dryly. It appeared he got the hint of my difficult circumstances.

I did not miss the pitying look lord Elrond gave me. I curled my lips back in a scowl.

He decided to probe a different subject, but no less dangerous for me. "This circlet you tried to take, were you going to keep it for yourself? Sell it maybe? Or was there someone behind this?"

We continued our little staring contest as I heavily debated with myself whether or not to tell him the truth. If I did, the other two rogues would most likely lie and make me take the blame completely.

The worst that could happen is that I get executed, but then that would also be a good thing. For someone such as myself, is there really any point in living anymore?

"There were two other men." I said after a while.

"Two other men? Do you know their names?"

"They never told me when I asked." I answered and cringed when I realized just how stupid I sounded.

"What were you doing with them, Hireth? Did they not look suspicious at all?" He pressed on.

"Well they probably did…but I wasn't too certain." I bit out, turning my head away from the hard eyes of the elven lord.

"And what did they say to make you steal the circlet?" His questions continued.

"They told me I would get my share of riches if I used my thieving abilities to snatch the circlet away and give it to them." I finally said and slumped back in my wooden chair behind Elrond's desk.

He let out a sigh and began massaging his temples with his thumb and index finger.

"Hireth, you were working and stealing with two suspicious looking men you do not even know the names of?" He frowned at me frustrated. "You would believe such nonsense they told you? These types of people never keep their words or their end of a bargain. I thought you were smarter than that, Hireth."

I flushed. To my chagrin, I was probably as stupid as he implied.

"Look, they had the money and I had the skills. I was only thinking about food and shelter at the time." I snapped back.

"Some skills you have. Look where it got you now, child." Elrond said, wryly. I glowered peredhil menacingly.

He cleared his throat.

"Do you know whom that circlet belongs to?" He asked.

"Well, I was told it belongs to a high prince of the Noldor and this big fuss over said circlet only confirms it, my lord." I rolled my eyes.

"It belongs to Maedhros Fëanorian, son of Fëanor, and one of my foster fathers along with his younger brother, Maglor." He told me sternly, but his eyes were somewhere else as he said those names.

I wracked my brain to remember if I heard any of those names before. I don't recall ever meeting them in my past life; Elrond never mentioned anything much about his past, let alone his parentage. But the fact that I tried to steal from one of his adoptive fathers definitely made things a lot more awkward between us now.

I gave him a sheepish look.

"I did not know he was someone dear to you." I said lamely.

Elrond snapped out of his brooding reverie and turned his grey eyes back to me.

"My men will go out in search of the two rogues who bribed you into thievery and in the meanwhile, you my dear, will be compensating for your crimes all these years."

"Compensating? Aren't you going to like keep me as your prisoner or hang me?" I sputtered, dread filling me whole. Knowing the Imladris lord, his term of 'compensating' could mean anything from outlandish to downright outrageous.

Elrond nodded his head wisely.

"In a way, I am keeping you prisoner. Stealing is already a crime that I cannot overlook, but stealing from a realm of the firstborn such as my family is another matter altogether."

"What will you have me do?" I asked suspiciously. He looked up at me from his writing.

"You will be sent to the Fëanorian household and work as their personal servant there."

My head crashed onto the cold stone floors and I realized I fell out of my chair.

"What do you mean as their personal servant?!" I exclaimed, outraged. My head throbbed painfully from the fall. Elrond looked me over thoughtfully before confirming my fate.

"It is just what it sounds like. You will become their personal, loyal servant for two years." He said simply.

"Two years?" My voice came out as a shrill squeak. This time, Elrond narrowed his dark eyes at me.

"Two years is extremely lenient for your crimes, Hireth. I could have sent you to die in the dungeons instead if you would prefer that."

I snapped my mouth shut and shrunk back in my chair helplessly.

"Now describe the two bounty-hunters you associated yourself with in full details so we can quickly start their interrogation after their capture. And then, you pack up all your things and I will have my escorts bring you to my foster father's house."

I groaned loudly. I hated the firstborn. I hated everything about the Eldar and would never want to have anything to do with them except this one time when I tried to steal their crown. Thanks to that, I now found myself in this utterly horrible situation where I have to work for them.

I only hoped lord Mandos will be kind enough to pull me back to his halls before I get to the Fëanorian household.

"I cannot believe you, Hireth!" Haleth grumbled exasperatedly as she stuffed the little folded clothes I owned in my leather bag. "I understand your dislike towards the Quendi, I do too, but never in my life did I think you would be foolish enough to snatch one of their things."

"I have heard those similar lines way too much today already. Just let it go." I grouched back. I stood up and began walking around the camping ground to search for any missing items. Spotting a twinkling of silver, I bent down to examine the half buried object. Picking it up, I realized it was the silver necklace I forged in my past life along with the smiths back in Rivendell. Their sudden forms flashed through my head as I remember their laughter, smiles and how it all turned out in the end. Gazing into the glass-ball pendant brought back both joyful and painful memories.

"This is my fault. I should have paid more attention to the way you were living before I went on to live with my father and Haldor's family." Haleth said to me sadly. "If I provided more or maybe even brought you over to live with us until you find a job, maybe all this would not have occurred."

I tucked the necklace in my trouser pockets and shook my head.

"This is my own doing and folly and now I have to pay for it. You on the other hand have your people to worry about. I could not have possibly barged in and troubled all of you."

"You troubling us are not the issue! You running and thieving around like a savage most definitely is, however." The Haladin female warrior spat and I rolled my eyes.

"It is not that big of a deal." I began, "the only problem I have now is my lack of money and having to work for the damn firstborn."

Haleth whirled her head sharply, her eyes ablaze.

"Exactly, Hireth. Because of your thoughtless actions, you now must give up your pride. _Our_ pride in vowing to never serve those beings unlike other hopeless misfits."

I did not respond. It was true after all. Haleth and I had always been partners in crime ever since Arda remade and we took joy in trying to encourage the evolution and success of the lives of mortals so that we would not lose against the Eldar.

And now because of my impulsive bargain with the bounty hunters, I have to work for the firstborn rather than work against them.

"If only I took you in earlier! I did not know you were living in such hard situations!" Haleth wailed.

"I understand! I already said it was my mistake and look here as I pay dearly for it. But believe me when I say it _will never happen again." _I seethed to myself. Haleth came up to me and deposited the bag into my already filled arms.

"So I will not be seeing you for two years I take it?" She asked dully.

"Unfortunately, that would be the case."

She gave a heavy sigh. I thought I saw a glimmer in her eyes before it disappeared and was replaced by a frown. I was surprised when she suddenly looked up at me with a slight flush coloring her cheeks.

Imagine my shock upon discovering that the tough woman leader of the Haladin could possibly blush.

"Is there something you want to say?" I asked uncertainly.

She hesitated at first, but asked rather carefully, "Will there be someone by the name of Caranthir at the home you are about to be working at?"

I searched my memories for a Caranthir from yesterday. Something clicked then I recalled how he was the brother who defended our race when his other blonde brother brazenly insulted us.

"Yes, there was! He had black hair and he seemed a bit more quiet and mature than his yellow-haired brother from what I had seen so far. He defended our mortality when his brother, Celegorm-I think talked shit about us." I said.

Haleth was silent for a moment.

"I see…" She said quietly.

"Why? Are the two of you acquainted with each other?" I asked curiously.

"Oh, well, we—nevermind!" Her cheeks colored again and she said hurriedly. "It is time we get you going, Hireth. There is no time to waste!"

I stared and my jaws dropped, as she darted out towards the elven guards assigned to 'escort' me to the Fëanorian estate. I tightened the bundle in my arms and followed her lead.

Imagine my boiling anger when I found out that I would be walking or rather dragged by the two eldar warriors on their brazen white steeds. A rope tied on each steed was wrapped securely around my wrists.

After an hour of heat stroke and me making my complaints quite clear albeit ignored, we finally arrived to the high prince's mansion. They yanked the ropes off and around my tanned wrists were blisters beginning to form. I growled at the hideous sight and glowered fiercely at the two men. They paid me no heed and went on to knock on the heavy doors.

A minute later, the door opened revealing the blonde elf I remembered as Celegorm. He eyed the three of us warily, but then recognition flitted across his face when he saw my familiar ragged self.

"As promised, Lord Elrond has agreed to your request of having Hireth from Formenos as a full-time servant here for the length of two years. She will stay here with you starting today and her work may begin tomorrow. The House of Elrond will now start the investigation of Hireth's relationship with the bounty-hunters." The ellon to my right stoically spoke.

Celegorm nodded and lowered his head to sneer at me while addressing the guards. "The Fëanorian estate thank you for your services. We will make sure to work this thief plenty and give the mortal proper punishment she deserves."

If they even think of making me a slave to warm their beds also, I'm going to kill them. I sneered back at the elf.

The ellon guard to my left gave the golden son of Fëanor an envelope.

"Inside are papers that include information on Hireth and dates that you or any of your brothers to check off each day she works. We suggest you keep tabs on her as often as possible." To this, Celegorm readily nodded, his golden hair shuffling around his shoulders.

"Keeping tabs on me?" I said acidly, thoroughly annoyed at being spoken about as if I weren't present there. "It would seem I now have stalkers to look out for."

"You will address your superiors as your lords, mortal. Keep up that disrespectful tongue of yours and it will be cut with my favorite hunting knife." Celegorm nonchalantly replied, not bothering to look at me. His fingers flipped through the files from the ivory envelope.

"I will be sure to keep that in mind, _my lord_." Sarcasm delightedly glued to my mouth.

"We leave her with you then." The two elven guards both got on their horses and quickly disappeared before I had the chance to blink.

Inside the building were typical white marble floors, a mini staircase to the right with two rooms beside it barred with deepened red wooden doors, a wide staircase was built in the middle leading up to another floor that was guaranteed to be just as big and filled with many rooms. On the left were more rooms that I have yet to discover.

And probably forced to clean. I thought bitterly.

Simple decorations such as stone, crystal and clay statues filtered the mansion in all the right places. The extremely high ceiling was made of thick glass for the sun to brighten through the house considerably.

"If you are finished gawking ridiculously, we can get you settled down and give you the list of chores you have to do." Celegorm voiced. To other non-firstborns, an elven voice may sound melodic and wonderful to hear. To me, however, their voices sound anything but pleasant.

"Oh, joy." I muttered as I swiftly followed him up the stairs to what I guessed was the basement.

"Where are your other family members, my lord?" I asked as I scanned around. There were forgery materials and machines everywhere. Jewelry and gems could be seen littering in several places. All sorts of weapons were stacked and chained firmly against the walls.

"They do not concern you at the moment. Right now, what you should be doing is to make sure you memorize the whole entire mansion to remember your way around. We cannot have you getting lost otherwise not enough work will be completed in time." Was the answer I received.

What an ass. I vaguely wondered if I could try sneaking out a weapon to commit bloody murder.

The blonde-haired ellon lead me to a room at the very back.

"This will be your room. You may leave all your things here. A bathroom is in the left corner for you to use how you wish."

I took a look around. The room was extremely small but befitting of a servant. There was a single bed settled in the middle of the room along with plain white beddings. A closet stood to the side and a little table opposite of the bed. The floor was made of wood. Most of all, the place looked in need of a good cleaning from all the dust.

"As you may have noticed, there are no windows whatsoever. There will be no escaping and do not even think of stealing the weapons. My brothers and I have had millennia to perfect our skills as princes as well as warriors. One suspicious move from you and a quick death will suffice."

Well there goes my plan running out the door.

I gave my bags a quick toss on the bed. Puffs of dust sprang up dancing around the room from the action. This place really did need a lot of cleaning and that was coming from a person who had been living outdoors.

"Come. We will now go upstairs and have you familiar with the place."

Celegorm began showing me the kitchen, living rooms, dining room, drawing rooms, the usual typical necessities of a regular house along with eldar sophisticated extras. They even had their own personal library. I groaned quietly to myself at the mere thought of having to dust every single book. They had millions of them!

He named the chores I had to complete each day with no exceptions while I followed him around. The activities included dusting everything aside from the obvious, washing windows, scrubbing and sweeping floors, washing dishes, clean the stables and wash their horses, weed the gardens and much more.

With each new chore he listed, the more I wanted to die.

"You will not touch anything in the forge however." Celegorm continued, "Our workplace is explicitly forbidden. There are certain things mortals are to never have their eyes on."

Celegorm's arrogance and superiority complex was truly aggravating and repulsive. Apparently, he does not seem to realize my disgust for his kind just as his for mine.

"Believe me, my lord. I am sure other mortal kingdoms such as Gondor and Rohan have information that you Quendi should not have your eyes on either." I tried to make my voice sound as mockingly pleasant as possible.

He glanced up at me and anger could already be seen glowing through his violet-grey eyes. I quickly spoke before he could give me a retort.

"Do I cook the meals for you all then too? Because I assure you, I am not much of a cook and I only remember stealing my food on a daily basis."

The elf looked revolted with my words, particularly when I mentioned 'stealing.'

"Always the pathetic human thief, aren't you?" He said belittlingly. "I am actually beginning to pity your little life."

Rage filled me, but remembering my station here, I tried my best to stay calm. Although there was not much point. Him, being an elf, could probably easily read my emotions anyway. I promise I will try to torture this bastard later if it was a possibility. For now, I will just settle with ignoring his despicable presence.

"My brothers and I take turns cooking. Seven sons for seven days of the week. Now, there are only three of us living in this house. Myself along with Carnistir and Nelyo. The others went along with their lives and only visit occasionally. Now that you are here, you will help us cook for the four days remaining." Celegorm explained.

"Do I get any breaks at all?" I asked incredulously, half dreading the answer. So far were so many chores and it did not seem like I would get any rest of the day save sleeping time.

This time, a new voice answered my inquiry.

"You already get breaks between meals save the daily night rest." It was the familiar hoarse voice and yet still spoken elegantly somehow. "But of course you being a mortal, we will remember to give you some of the relaxation your body will require."

I hastily turned my head to see the oddly tall brother I saw from yesterday. His wavy russet hair fell beneath his chest in a neat, half pony-tail. Many scars lined across his pale face yet his dark grey eyes gleamed with the honored pride of a firstborn. A warm, forest green cloak draped around his form, mostly covering his right side, hiding his right arm and hand altogether.

I sucked in my breath at his much more intimidating form compared to Celegorm. His height seemed to loom over you, not giving you any personal space.

Celegorm nodded his head in greeting. "Nelyo. This is Hireth, the thief that stole the circlet that was commissioned to be forged for you. As you see, she will now be working as a personal maid for us."

Shit. _Shit. _This imposing ellon was the prince I stole from?! I will be living for two years with this one ugly and scary person I tried to steal from? I am beginning to wonder if I would survive the ordeal.

Said prince put a hand to his chest and bowed his head slightly in greeting. I gaped.

Was he mocking me? But then he does have every right to be royally pissed off at me.

"I see our foreign maid has finally arrived. I am called mainly by my Sindarin name, Maedhros. The eldest son of our father, Fëanor. And I believe you must be lady Hireth." His mouth pulled back in a lopsided grin showing a missing tooth to the side. I cringed at the sight. He truly did look like a wraith.

I dismally realized that his sharp elven eyes must have seen the accidental, thoughtless action although he said nothing. Already, I was making a fool of myself by insulting him more than I already did when I attempted to steal his silver headdress.

"Yes, my lord. I was the culprit in that crime." I said; my eyes directed away from his intense ones that still studied me pensively.

"Indeed you are and I was delighted to hear that you will now be working for us from now on." The red-haired brother responded evenly.

So he was expecting me after all. Bastard.

Celegorm grunted. "Nelyo, that lowly mortal is no lady. She is a thief so you have no need for such indulgent addresses."

Why was I not surprised he would say something that annoying. What an ass. Might as well give him the satisfaction.

"Your brother is right, my lord. I am no lady." I gave a sour scoff. Maedhros paid the both of us no heed.

"My brother had spoken to you about what you are required to do around the mansion and outside of it, correct?" He asked to which I gave a curt nod. I handed him the list the middle Fëanorian brother gave me.

"Good. Then I am here to tell you that you are to clean and organize our bedrooms as well. Any personal and private space or items we will personally tell you in our own time."

I wanted to smack my head against a wall. Oh great, couldn't they clean that much themselves? Were they always this lazy or are they truly trying to torture me ruthlessly? My common sense instincts tell me if must be the latter of the two.

"You will wake up at dawn to begin your chores and you will be allowed to retire to bed at specifically nine-thirty every day." Maedhros continued to spoke. The more brash and hard-headed of the brothers, Celegorm, even knew who was clearly in charge in this household. He stood to the side to let his older brother do the speaking.

"At dawn?!" I impulsively yelled. Back when I was not stuck in this irritable situation, I always slept as long as my heart contents. This was a rule I absolutely cannot follow.

"That is what I said, Hireth." His grey eyes narrowed my voice volume.

"Why do I have to wake up at dawn? That is completely unreasonable. I will not get enough sleep this way. There is no way I can wake up at dawn. It is too early!" I was practically seething.

"First of all, you are in a Fëanorian mansion in Aman. A respectable family in a respectable city of the firstborn. You had been generously sent here to work as a servant for us as compensation for a serious crime rather than be put to death. I or my brothers will not, howsoever, tolerate that tone and defiant voice of yours. In here, you are to listen well and not question our orders, is that understood, lady?" He straightened his already tall posture over me, his voice stern and his fiery eyes molded into mine.

I glared unyieldingly back. He must not see my fears and uncertainty behind this tough façade.

Of all the fucking arrogance!

"Well, then I am just a servant to you, am I not? A puppet that will do every single thing you say." I spat venomously. "Don't you dare call me a lady, my lord."

His face softened a bit. "Ah, but you are a lady whether you are a servant here or not. We firstborn never deny a person their rightful name given the fairer gender. So yes, I insist to daresay you are a lady, lady Hireth."

Ugh, he is annoying. I get the feeling this elf was the type that has a silver tongue and often use it to get what he wants.

"I still do not understand why waking up at dawn is necessary." I said, crossing my arms.

"Waking up early is most necessary to get work done. You have noticed the whole list of chores you have to do daily. You certainly would have to stay up and work late in the middle of the night if you oversleep. Would you like that? To top it off, you will be denying your job as our maid, but as our princess instead." Maedhros answered calmly, not blinking an eye.

I pursed my lips. To think this is what a regular servant has to do every day. I really do have my work cut out for me.

"It is still too early. Perhaps a later time for my body to function normally?" I stubbornly insisted.

It would seem he had a ready counter for my half-hearted argument as well.

"I am informed that mortals need a total of eight hours of sleep for it to be considered healthy. However, I also learned that any less hours that is not too drastic is perfectly fine as well and the body will function normally. Not to worry. As I said, you are allowed to go to bed at specifically nine-thirty. That should give you plentiful sleep." He finished with a smile.

I stared at him disbelievingly. What is the deal with this man? No, not a man. A firstborn. A dangerous son of Fëanor who could mercilessly manipulate his fellow diplomats with his mouth in any argument. I do not want think how he would be like fighting.

"If you all are so wealthy, where are the other servants in this house? Am I to do everything myself?" I asked.

Celegorm gave a low growl. "You are insolent, fireth."

Maedhros, to my great disturbance, laughed good-naturedly.

"Take a look around. There are no servants here, lady. Before you came, my brothers and I took turns doing the chores by ourselves. We do not spend our wealth in such manners as to hire people to work on what we can do perfectly fine on our own. Other noble folks may hire servants and maids, but we do not. In your case, you committed treason and tried to steal an object of mine. Yes, my lady. You will be doing everything by yourself except for the weekly meals."

I looked away, feeling heat creep into my cheeks, knowing I had lost the battle.

"Ah yes!" There was a thought that came through the yellow-haired brother's smug face. "I forgot to mention that you will also keep track and total our monthly spending and report it to our central treasure building here in Aman as well."

"What? But all of that including this," I flailed my arms in front of me to give them the message, "will take forever!"

Maedhros quirked an eyebrow in my direction and nodded sagely.

"Then it is best to get started, no?"

_And here you have the end of chapter 2 guys! A Cinderella story in its own way…except it deals with a female thief as the main character…and it is reversed…somewhat. Let us just hope Hireth has some non-existent stepsisters to rescue her. –insert obnoxious laugh- _

_Just some endnotes. I know that I wrote Hireth calling Maedhros 'ugly' to herself. No, he is not technically ugly. He was not, I should say. Before the kinslaying and Morgoth's capture, Maedhros was considered 'comely' and 'well-formed'. I daresay, he probably was one of the most beautiful elven men alongside, Finrod, Finarfin, Glorfindel, Ecthelion, etc. _

_However, like I mentioned, time and war changed and damaged him severely. Just like how it damaged millions of people. He is still good-looking, just in a more unconventional way. Hireth, who hates elves with all her maiden's heart, just don't see it…YET. :)_


End file.
